Lima, NY 8.1 kW Solar Electric System
Challenge
This new home is looking to be LEED certified and Net Zero. We can help!
Solution
This 8,100 W (8.1 kW) grid-connected solar electric (PV, photovoltaic) system was installed as a ground-mounted array of thirty-six (36) SunPower 225W solar modules oriented South on two (2) Direct Power and Water adjustable-tilt top-of-pole mounts. The poles hold the modules arranged in landscape, and each have typical dimensions ranging from 15.4 ft x 9.7 ft x 14.3 ft (width x height x depth) at 25° tilt to 15.4 ft x 15.9 ft x 9.1 ft (width x height x depth) at 55° tilt. The system is configured electrically as four (4) DC circuits (strings) of nine (9) series connected modules providing input to one (1) SunPower/SMA 8000m, 8.0kW inverter. This inverter provides grid-synchronous AC output and interfaces to the electric utility through a circuit breaker or direct tap at the Customer's main service panel (MSP), as existing infrastructure allows. System power production (kW) and cumulative energy (kWh) generation is recorded and displayed by a SunPower monitoring system (including wall panel and web portal display), as well as by a digital display on the inverter and an electromechanical meter. As designed, this system should generate an average of 26.7 kWh/day = 9,761 kWh/year, where daily energy production is both weather and seasonally dependent. This energy production is equivalent to 72% of the customer's estimated future home electrical usage, and corresponds to a CO2 (greenhouse gas) emissions savings of 14,641 lbs per year.
